The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
